Electrically-heated curling-iron.



P. A. ENGLISH. ELECTEIGALLYHEATED GURLING IRON'.

APPLICATION FILED APB..14, 1913.

Patented Sept. 16, 1913.

Tn sriir FREDERICK A. ENGLISH, OF'CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR T0 BIRTMAN ELECTRIC CO.,

' OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

ELECTRICALLY-HEATED CURLING-IRON.`

To all 'whom it may concern." 4

Be it known that I, FREDERICEA. Eiw- Lisi-i, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, `have invented a new and useful Improvement in Electrically-Heated Curl-' ing-Irons, of which the following is a specification.

y My invention relates to an improvement in the class of curling-irons -in which the legs are hollow and contain electric resistance coils as the medium for heating them.

The object of my invention is to provide a simple device on the handleof the article, through the medium of which to make elec- -trie connection of the current-supplying conducting-wires with the coil or coils, and which shall permit rotation of the article for winding the hair about it without twistin'g the wires; and my further object is to provide means for shielding the electrical Vcontacts at the pivotal joint of curling-irons having two jaws, whereby the contacts shalll be protected against wear from rulbbing against each other in working the jaws to open and close them.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 is a view in elevation of a pair of curlingirons provided with my improvement; Fig. 2 is an enlarged broken section onvthe irregular line 2, Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a broken view showing a`section of one-of the two n an enelfof one of the handles for securing the ferrule loosely in place thereon topermit the handle to rotate in it, and Fig. l7 is an enlarged broken view showing a section taken on line 7, Fig. 1. Y V

'Ihe curling-irons shown have two hollow jaws or legs 8 and 9, the former being generally cylindrical and the latter having a concave face to receive the companion-jaw,

y, the jaws containing, respectively, a heatingelement shown as an electrical resistance coil 10, and a similar heating-element 11; but these parts need present no features ot Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 16, 1913.

` Application led April 14, 1913. Serial N o. 761,085.

novelty, and the ferrule-feature of my invention, hereinafter described, 1s advantageously useful on the handle of a curlingironv having only one hollow leg containing aresista'nce-coil. The jaw 8 terminates `at its inner end in a circular cup 12 having a central pivot-pin 13, and the jaw 9 terminates at its corresponding end in a similar, centrally-perforated, cup 14 provided with a handle 15 having an extension of insulating material, While a' hollow handle 16, having an extension of the same material is provided on the cup 12. The terminals of the coil 10 are secured, respectively, to contactstrips 17 and 18 (Fig. 4) secured on a block 19 of insulating material confined about the -pin 13 in the cup 12, and wires 20 and 21 connect these strips, respectively, with metal contact-rings 22 and 23 secured about the reduced rear-end portion, of insulating material, of the handle 1,6. Ahl'ocl 24 out' insulating material, centrally perforated for the passage through it et' the pivot-pin, carries contact-strips 25 and 26 with which, respectively, the terminals of the coil 11 are connected; and `sjiring-shields.2-7 and 28 of V thin sheet-metal are riveted through the insulating block, as shown in Fig. 2, vto extend about its opposite edges and at their free, springy sections respectively over the strips 25 and 26, with which they -aie thus electrically connected.

To assemble the two jaw-members of the device, the cups are brought" together at their open faces, causing the pivot-pin 13 to pass through the cup 14; and the cups are rotatably fastened together byscrewing a nut 29 on the threaded projecting end of the pin. A pair of insulated conduct-ing wires j 30 and 81, contained in` a cable 32, connect electrically at one end with the rings 22 and 23 (Fig. 5), and a re adapted in al usual way,

as by means of a porcelain contact-plug (not shown) connected with their opposite end and insertible into the socket of an incandescent electric lamp (not shown), to be coupled with the supply'of elect-ric current, tor heating the resistance-coils and thereby heating the jaws 8 and 9.

For electrically connecting the conductor 32 with the rings 22 and 23, I provide a ferrule 3? of wood or other suitable insulating material, formed preferably in two sections of general cylindrical Shape, with correspending [lange-extensions 34, 34 having half-nipples 35 projecting from them, and through which flanges the two ferrule-sections are fastened together by a small screwbolt 36, to produce the cylindrical portion of the ferrule and bring together face to face the flanges and the nipple-sections to form the nipple, through which the cable enters the ferrule. In the cylindrical portion of the ferrule, near its oppositeends, are confined metal rings 37 and 38 having perforated radial extensions 39, with which the wires 30 and 31 are respectively connected. The ferrule lits loosely about the reduced end-portion of the handle; and when in that position, wherein it is held by a button 40 screwed against it upon the handleend, the ring 37 contacts with the ring 22, the ring 38 contacts with the ring 23, thus electrically connecting the cable with the resistance-coils at the wires 20 and 21, which` pass to the rings 22 and 23 through holesy 41 in the reduced portion of the hollow handle; and the curling-ironsfmay be turned by the user, for winding the hair about the jaws,v freely f without twisting the cable, owing to the loose connection of the ferrule with the handle 16.

In opening and closing the jaws, the interposition of the spring shields 27, 28 between the contacts-strips 18, 25, and 17, 26, prevents these strips and the wire-connections therewith from/ rubbing against each other and, therefore, from wear and conse.- quent disorganizaticn of the electrical connections.

I realize that considerable variation is pcssible in the details of construction thus specifically shown and described, and I do not intend by illustrating a single, specilic or preferred embodiment of my invention to be limited thereto; my intention being in the appended claimsv to claim protection upon all the novelty there may be in my invention as Ibroadly as the state of the art will permit.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is v 1. In an electrically-heated curling iron, the combination of a hollow leg provided with a hollow insulating handle having a reduced end-portionsurrounded by a pair of metal rings, a heating-element in the leg having its terminals connected with said rings, a ferrule of insulating material loosely ysurrounding said reduced handleportion, formed of a pair of, semi-cylindrical sections each having a flange-extension and a nipple-section thereon and bolted together through the {lange-extensions, with metal rings confined in the cylindrical portion of the ferrule to contact, respectively,

with said rings on the handle, and conducting-wires connectedlwith said rings in the ferrule,for the purfpose set forth.

2. In an electrically-heated curling iron, the combination of a pair of hollow jaws terminating in cups having handlesextending from themv and at which they are pivotally` connected together, heating-elements in the jaws, insulated 'contact-strips in one cup, with which the terminals of the corresponding element are connected, insulated contact-strips in lthe other cup, with which the terminals of the corresponding element are connected, spring-shields connected with and extending over the contact-strips in the last-named cup, and current-supplying conducting-wires leading tosaid strips, for the purpose set forth.

3. In an electrically-heated curling iron, the combination of a pair of hollow jaws terminating in cups having handles eXtend- K ing from them and at which they are pivotally connected together, heating-elements in the jaws, insulated contact-strips in one cup., with which the terminals of the corresponding element are connected, insulated con-C tact-strips in the other cup, with which the terminals of the corresponding element are connected and having wires leading from them along the handle on that cup, springshields connected with and extending, over the contact-strips in the first-named cup, current-supplying wires, and means for connecting the current-supplying' wires with aidhrst-named wires, for the purpose 'set ort FREDERICK A. ENGLISH.

, In presence of- A. C. FISCHER, O. C. Avisos. 

